Biography

Dag Nasty was one of the first bands to temper hardcore music with melodicism, a style that would eventually infiltrate the US charts in the late 90s courtesy of disciples such as Blink-182 and the Offspring and the new wave of emo (emotional hardcore) bands. The Washington, DC, USA-based outfit originally formed in the mid-80s, when Brian Baker (guitar; ex-Minor Threat) and Shawn Brown (vocals) joined forces, but before the band (which also included Roger Marbury (bass) and Colin Sears (drums) at the time) could issue a debut album, Brown was replaced by singer Dave Smalley (ex-DYS). Signed to Dischord Records (Minor Threats ex-label), Dag Nasty issued their debut, Can I Say, in 1986, with singer Ian MacKaye (ex-Minor Threat) producing. By the time the following years Wig Out At Denkos was released, Baker and Sears were the only previous members left in attendance, as the line-up now included newcomers Peter Cortner (vocals) and Doug Carrion (bass;...